It was one of the wettest, coolest July weekends on record, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves quite a bit this past weekend. Actually, it wasn't that cool, and it was a little too humid for my taste (what, like maybe 30 per cent?), but Portland's still the best place to be in the summertime.

Friday night we met Rob's sister and brother-in-law at Edgefield. They were down to fish in the Columbia (but water levels are low and apparently the runs are pretty limited). Edgefield was an hourlong wait so we decided to drive on up to Cascade Locks instead. We had some great burgers and chicken at a little pub called "Salmon Run" and then took the Bridge of the Gods over to Stevenson on the Washington side for some ice cream.

Saturday we got a lot of errands done, including three trips to Lowe's to rekey some of our new doorknobs; plumbing parts for the leak under the sink; and electrical parts for the waterfall in the back yard that blew out the other day. That night we drove out to Scott and Jodi's house for a barbecue with Uncle Ron and Aunt Pam who are visitng from Washington DC.

Sunday we saw Hairspray -- a PG-rated, pastel-colored, light and fluffy blend of the 1988 movie and the 2002 Broadway musical. Pretty silly stuff. Here, for the heck of it, is a conflicted Christian review.

I missed the DeSoto opening but I'm looking forward to many more evenings out at the Museum of Contemporary Craft and other fantastic galleries that make up the space one block east of where I work.